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Jared Starwind
Jared Starwind ( 24 BBY - ) was a former marine turned Captain in the New Republic FleetOps division, serving aboard the [[CRV Audacity|NRCV Audacity]] in 16 ABY. A veteran of the Rebel Alliance, he was assigned to the [[NRSC Independence|NRSC Independence]] in 18 ABY, but retired later that year. Captain Starwind was a firm believer in the ideals of the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic, feeling that respect was the right of all beings, and redemption was within the grasp of anyone who truly wished to make up for past crimes - no matter how serious they were. He was often disheartened by how few citizens - and even officials - of the New Republic seemed to share his views but did not lose faith in them, certain that they simply needed to be reminded that peace and forgiveness were always an option. He was also a believer in the Force, though he himself was not a Force user, and regarded the Jedi Order with a great deal of respect. Background thumb|left|200px|Jared Starwind during his earliest days with the Rebel Alliance. Then Starwind was born and raised on Tatooine, the eldest of three born to a Mos Espa bartender and junk trader. It wasn't the most comfortable or wealthy of upbringings, "but noone died," so he's always considered it happy enough. He and his siblings had many friends in their neighborhood and got into their fair share of fights, but very rarely got into any trouble that they couldn't handle. As he grew older, he began helping out around the bar and shop, usually in the form of throwing out unruly customers. When he was 18, he sought out the Rebel Alliance and joined the fight for freedom, quickly finding himself assigned to the Special Forces. He served during the three major battles of the day - Yavin, Hoth, and Endor as a member of Han Solo's strike team, along with men like Beaubos "Skeezix" Calhoun - and those experiences did a great deal to shape him into the man he would become. Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, he was married to an old friend from Tatooine and became a father. His wife and daughter adapted to the life of a military family quite quickly, as Starwind continued to serve, doing his best to split his time between the needs of the galaxy and those of his family. When the Rebellion transformed into the New Republic after the victory at Endor, he saw no change to his duty, and did everything he could from his position on the front lines to help build a government its people could be proud of. After losing his wife to the Imperial Blitzkrieg, the relationship Starwind had with his daughter soured. Soon after, Starwind achieved a long-standing goal and earned a transfer into Fleet Operations. As a part of the System Defense Initiative, he was promoted to Commander and transferred out of First Fleet, landing command of the Second Fleet's NRCV Audacity. He brought with him decades of experience, and it was hoped that it would have a positive effect on those officers placed in his charge. IC History Taking Command Almost as soon as he arrived aboard the Audacity, it was deployed - along with most of Second Fleet itself - for an operation against the Sith fleet over Grinndal. Under the command of Luke Skywalker, Second Fleet forced the retreat of the Sith, but were unable to track their escape vectors due to the detonation of a field of space mines. Nonetheless, it served as a good morale boost with which to start off his naval career, and a blessedly short engagement. While much of the Fleet returned home, the Audacity remained behind to assist with the orbital clean-up and scouting of Grinndal itself before it, too, returned to its home berth at Ord Mantell. A Short Retirement While his career in the navy was shaping up to be a successful one, a bitter row with his daughter after the Showdown at Grinndal led Starwind to reevaluate his life's priorities. Less than a year after being given command of the Audacity, he retired from the service to spend more time as a father, something he felt was sorely overdue to be the top dog in his life's list of priorities. It took him some time to grow accustomed to life outside of the military, but he did eventually grow into it. In the two years he spent his own man, he and his daughter were able to do a great deal to repair their relationship, largely due to each of them finally coming to terms with the loss they suffered when their family was broken at the Chandrilan massacre. When news reached them that the Audacity had been lost, his daughter knew the call was coming long before he did. Sure enough, in 18 ABY, Starwind was approached by the New Republic and asked to return to active duty. He took nearly a month to think on it, but in the end, he agreed... this time, with his daughter's blessing. Much to his shock, he was promoted to the rank of Captain and given command of the Independence, a Home One-class MC80 formerly under the command of Admiral Ackbar, which Starwind had served aboard during his career with the Rebel Alliance. Once he was assured by the Admiral himself that the assignment was not a mistake, he viewed it as a profound honor and accepted his new post with a renewed sense of responsibility and duty to the Republic. Building Bridges Shortly before his promotion, Starwind was asked to escort Senator Alistair Al'Dira to meet Danik Kreldin, while the Imperial war criminal and orchestrator of the Blitzkrieg and destruction of Grinndal was in the Republic military's custody, recovering from his time spent trapped aboard a dungeon ship. Over the course of the meeting, Starwind found himself increasingly sympathetic to Kreldin, despite knowing very well that he was the man who was ultimately responsible for the death of his wife. After the Senator departed, Starwind and Kreldin had the opportunity to speak at some length. In the end, Starwind gave Kreldin his forgiveness, and urged him not to give up hope that he could one day see the Empire and Sith brought to justice by his own hand. Mere days later, after receiving his new assignment, Starwind led the 21st Star Cruiser Squadron to Kamino on a mission to destroy the Empire's cloning facilities. Once Captain Ipex and her marines were dispatched to the planet's surface, communications were cut off between the ground and space forces to prevent the marines' positions from being compromised. However, the events in orbit resulted in Captain Starwind, Liza Molokai and Krieg Inrokana arranging a cease-fire between the Republic and Imperial forces as the two factions were confronted by a surprise attack from the Sith Fleet. Together, the bitter enemies fought shoulder-to-shoulder to repel the Sith attack. As the Sith withdrew from the system, the cloning complex on Kamino was destroyed - and there was still no word from the marines, whose escape ships were lost in the conflict. With no choice, Starwind secretly contacted a Jedi to extract the strike force, while he and the rest of the 21st departed the system peacefully and returned to Ord Mantell to lick their wounds, await their marines' return, and contemplate the diplomatic repercussions of their impromptu, shortlived alliance. Legacies Upon returning from Kamino, Starwind rushed to the Jedi Temple to inform Jedi Master Jessalyn Valios of what had transpired over the planet, and of her padawan's upcoming role in the rescue of the Republic's marines. Their discussion ranged from the danger her apprentice would be in were he discovered and came around to Danik Kreldin, whom the Jedi had spoken with a few days prior. The pair agreed that Kreldin was in a terrible spot after having been a victim of Palpatine's lies and the Imperial propaganda machine for so long, and that Senator Al'Dira's public promise to see him executed for his crimes was not something that would ever happen in the Republic they so strongly believed in. They discussed options, trying desperately to think of some way to convince the senate that Kreldin should not meet the fate proposed by the Senator. Reluctantly, Valios admitted that the Chief of State and Luke Skywalker had an idea of something that might serve to help Kreldin - a secret, long kept - but they feared that revealing this truth could threaten the Jedi Order itself. Sworn to secrecy, she revealed to Starwind that Leia Organa Solo and Luke Skywalker shared a father: Darth Vader. Starwind was horrified, his memories of Vader vivid even after so many years, but his trust in the Jedi Order and his growing friendship with Valios made him realize that what she was saying was the truth. Though he was left reeling, Starwind was able to accept the information, with a deep pang of sympathy and pain for the young X-Wing pilot and orphaned Princess he'd watched grow up over the course of the Galactic Civil War and the birth of the New Republic. To say that he understood the pair's reluctance to reveal this information would be an understatement of epic proportions, and he reiterated his promise not to reveal the secret to anyone. He did, however, reveal to Leia herself after some gentle prodding that Jessalyn had told him, after the Chief of State expressed concern for his well-being. Days later, Starwind volunteered to accompany Danik Kreldin as he was transported by the marines to the New Alderaan Government Complex, where he would await his trial. Mere minutes from their destination, the armored transport carrying them and their Jedi bodyguards, Badiri Nzuri and Snal'Fashtalli, was attacked by a group of eight men seeking Danik's death in reprisal for the Desolation of Grinndal. Though the assassination attempt was unsuccessful, Starwind was wounded by a sniper round. He was treated on the scene by Jedi Knight Noval Colton, but required more serious treatment to more fully repair the damage done. During his recovery, Luke and Leia revealed to the Republic Military the identity of their father. At their request, Starwind delivered the news for them to the galaxy at large with a statement of support and trust given to IGN. Turning Tides When a sensor beacon went dead on the outskirts of the Kashyyyk system, the Independence was tasked with investigating, due to its proximity to Sith-occupied Trandosha. Upon their arrival, they discovered the [[I2SD Tormentor|I2SD Tormentor]], under the command of Lt. Commander Sesten Delamont - one of the Imperials Starwind had worked with during the truce over Kamino. Delamont apologized for damaging the beacon and revealed that they had come to send probe droids into Trandoshan space in the hopes of learning more of the Sith's occupation there. Starwind attempted to negotiate a sharing of the intelligence learned from the probes, as they had been launched from Republic space. While Delamont could not promise that, he offered another piece of intelligence in the interests of fair play: the Sith had an Eclipse-class dreadnaught... with functioning superlaser, one that was used just recently over Thyferra. Chilled, Starwind expressed his gratitude for the information and promised to let the Kashyyyk defense force know that Delamont would be returning to retrieve his probe droids' information. The two craft parted peacefully, and the Independence rushed their new intelligence back to their commanders. Upon returning to Ord Mantell, Starwind learned of a current crisis involving an old friend of his - Vengan Draelis, a Captain in New Republic's GroundOps division, stood accused of attempting to murder Kreldin in the midst of his trial and had violently escaped from the military's custody, gravely injuring two officers and, most unsettlingly, several Jedi. The threat posed by Draelis was believed serious enough, in fact, that the Republic capitol was placed under Threat Conditions, with marines actively patrolling the streets and trying to find Draelis before anyone could be hurt. Starwind spoke with Ona Rei Delamont, one of the officers injured during his escape, and was disturbed by what he learned from her. He suggested she speak to Wrista Ipex, who had been charged by Draelis' superior with finding him - and fast. After a third and apparently successful attack on Kreldin after his sentencing, Ipex successfully captured Draelis - alone. Just when Starwind thought his opinion of the twi'lek's skills could not possibly go any higher. When Imperial forces attacked Chazwa, the Independence joined Admiral Ackbar in coming to the planet's aid. While the attackers, led by the brutal Admiral Lex Sando, were eventually repelled, it was not until after Chazwa's capitol city suffered grave damage from Sando's orbital bombardment, and the Independence herself took serious damage from the Tormentor, necessitating a stay at a repair yard. Independence would next see action in the Battle of Nak Shimor, where she served primarily as a carrier for the Republic's fighter and bomber squadrons, staying out of the main battle itself. Starwind didn't mind - he harbored no illusions about his ship's survivability when faced with an Imperial invasion force, and the role of a carrier was just as vital to the effort. In the end, the Empire was routed and driven away, thanks in some small part to the timely arrival of Danik Kreldin and a small army of his own, not to mention the heroics of the Republic's own people. Exhausted, Starwind returned to Ord Mantell, and not for the first time began reconsidering his place in the galaxy even as the Republic celebrated their victory. He retired from the New Republic Defense Force in late 18 ABY. Operations With Second Fleet 16 ABY: Showdown at Grinndal * Abandoned Sith Factory Operation Scatterswipe: Dathomir * Interlude * Homeward Bound 18 ABY: *'Battle of Kamino' * Battle of Chazwa * Battle of Nak Shimor ** Battle's End Sith War * Bad News RP Logs 18 ABY: * Duty and Loss * Stuck in the Turbolift * A New Assignment * Exposing Vader New Republic Military Awards Military Honors * New Republic Field Achievement Award * Superior Service Medal * Order of Valor * The Alliance Trifecta ** Talons of Hoth ** Spear of Endor * Medal of the Republic Spirit ** Leadership Service Ribbons * Yavin Service Ribbon * Hoth Service Ribbon * Endor Service Ribbon * Mon Calamari Service Ribbon * Coruscant Service Ribbon * Ord Mantell Service Ribbon * Grinndal Service Ribbon * Kamino Service Ribbon * Chazwa Service Ribbon * Nak Shimor Service Ribbon GroundOps Awards * Crescent of Valor Battle Patches * Battle of Yavin Patch * Battle of Hoth Patch * Battle of Endor Patch * Battle of Grinndal Patch * Battle of Kamino Patch * Battle of Chazwa Patch * Battle of Nak Shimor Patch OOC * Starwind was played by JStarwind. * Now retired, she is typically willing to NPC him on request. Category:NR Characters Category:Tatooinians Category:Humans